As we move towards the weekend, I decided to keep things centered around Japan for a little longer. Above is a shot of my current keyboard, it allows me to type Japanese whenever I want with out external applications [Unfortunately, I'm posting this on my laptop so no instant Nihongo]. The key to the left of the Alt key lets me switch between Katakana and Hirigana when typing. Katakana is a character set that is used for only words and names that do not exist in Japanese, like Brian, ブライアン (bu.ra.i.a.n). Hirigana is another component of the Japanese writing system that all Japanese can be written with: さんにん (three people). Kanji are Chinese Characters used in the modern Japanese writing system in place of some Hirigana: 三人 (three people). Hirigana and Katakana are the easiest to learn, Kanji gets a little tougher but it's easy to remember once you get it.
.....As promised, below is a track from the album I recoded in Tokyo in 2003, it's called 'We Got It'. Recorded with my partner Dub Mo, Momoyo.
Enjoy.
Ja Mata.
Brian
3 comments:
So so cool! I studied Japanese for one semester in college and barely made it through. Loved the artistry of the writing of the language. Thanks for sharing!
"Kanji gets a little tougher but it's easy to remember once you get it."
... I think that's a bit of an understatement... Once I got to even three- or four-hundred Kanji my brain was fried. Living in the country (complete submersion) would make it easier, though. Maybe someday...
It's been almost 20 years since I lived in Japan, but I can still read hiragana and katakana. As for Kanji...2nd or 3rd grade level is probably as well as I can read. I just love the beauty of the characters.
Gambatte Ne!
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